Right
by JadeShadow
Summary: This is my first fluff story-all ye Anakin/Tahiri fans will enjoy this. Short and sweet. Takes place after Edge of Victory II: Rebirth, so you will probably appriciate it more if you read the book first. Go R/R!


Right

By Jade Shadow

A/N: Here's my first fluff. Give me a break, I don't even have a boyfriend! Please R/R and tell me what I've totally messed up and what I've done right and PLEASE don't flame me.

Disclaimer: Greg Keyes, being the genius that he is, came up with several things that are referred to in this fic. George Lucas came up with the whole idea of Star Wars to begin with. As much as I'd LOVE to own all these characters, sadly, I do not. And I am not getting any money from this.

Anakin paused outside the door to Tahiri's room and sighed, trying to calm his nerves. _This is Tahiri_, he reminded himself. _A somewhat more mature, darker, prettier- _Anakin cut off the train of thought and raised a hand to the door, but dropped it. _You are not going to ask her out on a date, it's just to talk, as friend to friend. _

"Anakin?" Corran Horn materialized next to him, making Anakin jump. "How's Tahiri?"

"I-uh-I'm going to ask her, right now," Anakin stammered, mentally cursing Corran and himself. 

Corran smiled knowingly. "Of course. Good luck, then." He tossed Anakin a wink and departed. Anakin paused again, wondering if he should just give up and leave. There was always tomorrow, after all. He could survive without seeing the girl for five hours…but something inside him _wanted_ to see her, and refused to be silent. The thought scared him, that he would actually want to see and talk to a person that much….

Just as he sighed resignedly and raised his hand again, the door slid open and Tahiri stood in front of him, wearing her normal jumpsuit. Her blonde hair was tousled, as though she had been sleeping, but her green eyes were wide and active. "Oh, hi Anakin," she said, automatically reaching a hand up to fix her hair.

Anakin's carefully prepared speech slipped away as soon as he saw her bright green eyes again. "Uh…hi," he managed. "Um, I was, uh, wondering if you would, uh, come down to the tapcafe with me, maybe. Just so we could, um, talk."

He was blushing furiously, and Tahiri's wide grin did not help. "Sure," she said. "Just give me a second to get ready." The door slid shut before Anakin had the chance to open his mouth. _Get ready? She's never done that before…_

"Hey Anakin!" said a new voice, causing Anakin to jump again.

"Yeah, Anakin, what's up?"

Anakin turned to see his older brother and sister. "Jaina, Jacen," he said. "What are you doing?"

"Just checking on you," said Jacen. "It's been a while since you've talked to us, you know."

"Well," Anakin started, but the door slid open and Tahiri appeared before him, wearing what seemed to be a fresh tunic. Anakin, however, leaned back and studied her, tilting his head from side to side.

"Oh, hey Tahiri," said Jaina. "I love the new look. Who taught you how to do your hair like that?"

"Mara," said Tahiri, reaching up and patting her hair. "Do you think it looks good?"

"Yeah," said Jacen, looking mischievous.

"Don't say it," Jaina warned.

"Say what?" Anakin demanded.

"Don't-" Jaina started, but Jacen had already started to speak. She sighed and muttered, "Fine, humiliate yourself…"

Ignoring his sister's grumbling, Jacen said, "Well, it does look nice Tahiri."

"So?" Anakin demanded, feeling nervous.

"Oh…sometimes I just wish I was…" Jacen was eyeing his brother while saying this, "as lucky as some guys are…getting to, ahem, 'get to know' a chick like that…"

Tahiri blushed, but Anakin wanted to sock his brother. "And what does that mean?"

"Well-" said Jacen.

"Don't!" Jaina quickly said. "Corran would kill you-"

"What about Corran?" Anakin's stomach was sinking.

Jaina glared at Jacen. "Solo, you are going to pay for this," she hissed.

"Watch the name, Jaina _Solo_," he shot back.

"What about Corran?" Tahiri said.

Jaina looked slightly miserable. "Uh, he, uh, told us that, uh…" She stopped, seeing the look on Anakin's face. "We're the only two he told! I swear!"

"She made him promise," said Jacen, rolling his eyes. "Made me promise, too, otherwise this would be the talk of the _Venture_ right now."

Anakin felt his cheeks flame. "Jacen, when you-no, _if_ you-get a girlfriend, I'm going to tell her about the time you ran through the Great Temple with nothing but Uncle Luke's lightsaber on."

"I was five!" Jacen insisted.

"Anyway," said Jaina loudly, "before you two decide you need to have a battle of masculine wit, which I _really_ don't want to sit through, I think Anakin and Tahiri should go wherever they're going."

"Hey!" the brothers said.

Jaina rolled her eyes and grabbed Jacen's arm. "Bye, you two," she called, racing down the hallway before Jacen could protest.

"Bye," said Tahiri. "So? Where are we going, Anakin?"

Anakin started. "I was thinking of the jungle room. You remember sneaking out of the Great Temple at night…"

Tahiri grinned. "Okay." She walked next to him and looked straight ahead, glancing at him occasionally as they walked down the gray-white halls of the Star Destroyer. Anakin was studying her face and hair, pushing away her brilliant green eyes and trying to figure out what made her look so different, aside from her hair…

"Ah!" he said suddenly. Tahiri jumped and stared at him, even as they kept walking. "You-you're-"

"What?" she asked.

"You're wearing make-up," said Anakin, feeling a little silly about his outburst. "Sorry for yelling. You just…never do that. It's just so…well…" he paused, searching for a word.

"Feminine?" she suggested.

"No, I was thinking more…well, girly." 

Tahiri rolled her eyes. "Same thing." She kept walking but was now looking at him expectantly, as though she was waiting for something. Anakin tried to figure out what she was looking for, but her bright eyes, and her playful feeling in the Force, distracted him. _Her hair? No, Jaina said something about that. Have I said something offensive? What'd I do?_

Something tickled at the back of his mind, a memory that involved Tahiri. What was it? Oh, yes. _"Well, I'll take that as a compliment, as you never give me any obvious ones."_ Then it clicked. As he paused outside of the door to the turbolift, waiting for one to be available, he said awkwardly, "Um…it looks nice. The make-up. On you, I mean, err, you look good in the make-up?" He stopped, cursing himself. 

Tahiri smiled sweetly. "Thanks!" Before he could stop her, she reached over and squeezed his hand. When she didn't let go, Anakin, feeling adventurous, squeezed back and pulled her a little closer. She pretended not to notice.   
As the door to the turbolift slid open, Mirax Terrik Horn walked off. "Oh, hello, Anakin, Tahiri," she said. "Have you seen Valin?"

"Nope," said Tahiri cheerfully, not noticing Anakin's flaming cheeks. "He's probably with Kam Solusar or someone."

Mirax nodded and they got onto the turbolift. The door slid shut and they stood inside a rather, well, small cylinder. Anakin felt a little uncomfortable. The locker on Yag D'hul had been smaller, but he hadn't been this close to Tahiri in five days. He had barely seen her, between visiting Uncle Luke, Aunt Mara, and Ben (who was a little cuter now, Anakin had to admit) and spending time with his parents and siblings. She hadn't bugged him, but he had felt her through the Force, a little lonely, a little isolated. Most of the other trainees, besides Valin and Sannah, were slightly afraid of her. Tahiri didn't like spending time with the little kids who were afraid of her, anyway, because most of them were under ten. But she had been patient with him and let him spend time with his family. However, Anakin suddenly realized, Tahiri was like his family. She loved him (at least, he thought-hoped?-so) and he liked being with her, even though life was becoming a little confusing. He still didn't regret kissing her-rather, he was glad to be given the chance to do it, even just once; but still, he didn't know where he was going, This was new territory, and besides, they were both still a little young.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Tahiri asked as the turbolift came to a stop. Anakin smiled a little and made his way to the jungle room. Once inside, strolling through the green trees with Tahiri still holding his hand, he replied, "What?"

"What are you thinking?" she amended. 

"Oh," said Anakin, blushing a little. "Nothing, really. Just about, you know, everything."

"Everything?" Tahiri asked slyly.

"Well, about what's been going on," said Anakin. "What about you?"

She sighed, slightly dreamy. "Just how nice it was for you to come and see me and take me here. I wanted to come, but I haven't been able to find it."

"Oh," said Anakin, not quite believing her. When he stretched out in the Force, however, he felt her pain. "What's wrong?"

"I wonder if, maybe…" Tahiri hesitated. "Well, if I should just go away."

"Why?" Anakin demanded, stopping underneath a large tree. It was night on the _Errant Venture_, and the artificial "sun" had been turned off. Still, Anakin could see the faint outline of her face, the way her curly hair had been twisted up and fastened behind her head, the way she looked so melancholy. 

She smiled, a little sad. "You know why, if you cared to find out."

"I care," said Anakin defensively, "I just don't want to-to-to invade your privacy."

"You never minded before."

"Yeah, well…" Anakin cast around for a reply. "That was then, this is now. I just…don't really…I don't know."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

She laughed slightly as she replied, "_That_ was a surprise."

Anakin blushed a little bit. "Um, why do you want to go away?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I'm afraid…" she paused, biting her lip. Suddenly Anakin saw tears in her eyes, and that her lip was quivering. He took her other hand and pulled her closer, but not too close. Tahiri didn't object.

"What's wrong?"

She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I had a dream, last night. I was me, in my dream, and…" she paused. "Well, anyway, I remember hacking away with my lightsaber until I found what I was looking for. Then I took my lightsaber and mutilated what I had been looking for. And-and-and-" she started shaking, and tears spilled out of her eyes. "And I felt the Dark Side and it was flowing through me and I was using it to inflict pain upon the-the-thing that was now in front of me, and I was happy, and I yelled in Yuuzhan Vong, and I screamed with delight when I was done…and then I woke up."

"Oh." Anakin was at a loss, then it hit him. "Was it _me_?"

Tahiri nodded miserably, sobbing. "I don't want to hurt you in reality and-and-and-" She stopped, crying to hard.

"Whoa, whoa, Tahiri! Calm down!" said Anakin, instinctively pulling her into a hug. She sobbed into his chest, praying she wouldn't hurt him and telling him how much better off he'd be if he'd just let her leave. After a while her sobs quieted, and she pulled her head up from his tearstained shirt and looked into his eyes. 

"Anakin?" she whispered.

"Hey, hey, it's going to be okay, you know."

She nodded, tears still coursing down her cheeks. "Sometimes I wonder why you put up with me," she managed.

"Because I love you," he whispered, pulling her close and kissing her, feeling the wetness of her cheeks and the warmness of her sweet lips. She buried her face into his chest and he rested his head atop hers, feeling at peace with the galaxy, for once. Finally, he whispered into her hair, "Was that a surprise?"

He felt her giggle. "Well, not exactly…I love you, too."

"That's the only way I'd have it," Anakin replied softly, stroking her hair and leaning against the tree. After a few minutes he realized that she was asleep. Smiling, he slowly sat down with her on his lap. While nodding off to sleep, Anakin suddenly felt a familiar, happy presence he couldn't name, but he suddenly knew that what he was doing was completely, utterly, and perfectly right.

A/N: I'm not too good with endings, but here it is!!!! Please please R/R. 


End file.
